Here we go again
by JynxGirl
Summary: When Kiss Me Not is finally closed, a new case drags Lindsey, Tom and the rest of the Women's Murder Club in.
1. Here We Go Again

This is my first fanfiction in a REALLY long time! Please tread gently. :)

Thanks!

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Lindsey flipped her hair over her shoulder and sighed heavily. The case file justs kept growing. She lugged the file box off of her desk and carried into the empty interrogation room. The table there was large enough to spread out the photos, witness statements and evidence packages.

She laid things out methodically, lifting the plastic wrapped packages as carefully as she would lift an infant out of a crib. She laid the packages carefully under their respective photographs, ensuring they didn't cross into the other columns she was creating.

As she stared at her evidence, she looked for patterns in the photos, the statements and the minuscule amounts of physical evidence found at each scene. The longer she stared, the faster the images blurred before her. She'd been at this for over six hours.

Pulling her long brown hair up into a ponytail, Lindsey glanced around the room at the familiar bare walls. Jacobi had left four hours ago. Claire was probably sound asleep. Jill was on yet another hot date, and Cindy had gone home to visit her mom for a few days. There was only one other person around that she could trust, and she sure as hell wasn't going to him for advice on a case.

Leaving her files on the table, she locked the door to interrogation, and went to get her fourth coffee of the night. She hoped Martha was holding up okay without her nightly walk. She was so distracted by the thought of her dog, that she nearly ran right in to Tom as he passed through the main doors of the Hall of Justice.

"Tom," Lindsey said, pushing past him to go through the door.

"Four pumps of caramel, low-fat milk, no foam," he said, handing the cup over. When she raised an eyebrow in question, Tom smiled his boyish smile. "I saw the light on in interrogation. Figured you needed to be on your toes."

Lindsey smiled at him awkwardly and sipped the hot beverage with a sinfully erotic lick of her lips.

Tom had to pull his eyes away from her lips. "Anything new in the case?"

Lindsey shook her head and took another swig. "Not a damn thing." Her brows furrowed, "I know they're all connected. I know they all follow some form of pattern, I just can't figure it out."

Tom nodded as she talked, his own brow furrowing in concern, "Linz, is this case getting to be another Kiss Me Not? Are you able to put it to bed?" The memory of the closed case was still fresh for everyone in Homicide.

"I will put it to bed when I solve it." She turned and started walking towards the bull pen again. "Thanks for the coffee Lieutenant," she called over her shoulder.

Tom shook his head, and went back up to his office to finish his nightly paperwork.

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The diner was full the next morning. Lindsey walked in and nodded at Claire, Jill and Cindy who were saving a seat for her at their usual booth. She sat down and picked up the menu off the table. She barely glanced at it before she knew what she wanted.

"So, ladies, what's the word of the street today?" She asked, flipping the menu down on the table.

Claire looked at Lindsey's face. The dark circles under her eyes told her all she needed to know. "Did you go home last night?"

The withering look she got was answer enough. "For your information, no. I spent the night poring over my case files to try and catch a murdering bastard."Lindsey turned and gave her order to the waitress. "And, found nothing." She put her head on her folded arms.

Jill smiled, "At least you have a case to throw yourself in to. I feel like I'm sitting on an empty vault." She took a bite of her eggs. "Denise is stonewalling me lately, and I have gotten nothing but boring sign outs for days!"

"Why?" Claire asked, "I mean, what would she gain by not giving you cases?"

Jill shrugged, "Besides annoying me? She's holding Hanson over my head. If I don't have a case, I can't work opposite him." Jill swirled the ice in her orange juice. "I guess I just have to ride this out."

Lindsey tried to smile apologetically. She was still wrapped up in her case. "Claire, I need you to go over the tox results for Mr. Newman with me again. Something there doesn't seem right, but I don't know what it means."

Claire and Cindy groaned. "What?" Lindsey asked, exasperated.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? The last time you wanted a rehash of the stomach contents; ew by the way. The week before that, it was bruise patterns."

Claire nodded along to her speech. "What's going on, Linz?"

Lindsey just shook her head.

The other three looked at each other, exchanging worried glances. "Lindsey," Claire said kindly. "Is there something we can do?"

"Distract me? Give me the answers I need to find the connection." She offered up. All four women smiled.

"I can help with that, detective," the waitress smiled as she set down a plate full of food.

Lindsey smiled her thanks, and tucked in to her breakfast.

The chatter around the cafe swallowed up the rest of the morning.

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Lindsey unlocked the door, and smiled as Martha wandered over, whining for attention. The dog walker Lindsey had hired must have taken care of her over the last few days. Thankful for her foresight, Lindsey patted the dog's head, and kicked her shoes off.

She dropped the banker's box on the floor, and reached up to pull down the ladder of her attic space. As the ladder unfolded, she sighed, and picked up the heavy cardboard box and hitched it to her hip as she started to climb.

At the top, she set the box down again and looked around. The bare walls seemed foreign to her. The small holes in the wall were the only scars of the Kiss Me Not case. The desk was clear of all paper, and the battered laptop was cold from lack of use.

Lindsey put the banker box on the desk and flipped the lid open. She fished through the file folders until she found the first picture. Holding it in her left hand, she blindly dug through the desk for a push pin.

Staring at the face of the first victim, she stood up took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pushed the pin through the paper and into the wall.

It was starting again.


	2. Eidetic Realization

Claire was in autopsy, prepping Mrs. Chin for her examination when she heard the door bang behind her. She didn't look up, but started talking.

"Artie, you need to make sure that Mrs. Chin's paperwork is ready for me to deliver by the end of the day. I should have her autopsy done in about an hour," she spoke as she continued to undress the old woman.

When she didn't get a response, she looked up to berate her assistant, only to find Jill staring at her. "Hi! What brings you here? I thought you hated this room?"

Jill smiled, not looking at the body. "I do. But I need to talk to you, and no one is answering your phones. Can we go somewhere else?" Jill looked positively green.

"Yeah, sure," Claire said quietly, stripping off her gloves and scrubbing out. "Is everything okay?"

They walked back to her office, settling into the comfortable couch. Jill glanced around, and tried to fight the tears that were threatening to overcome her. "I'm okay, but I am worried about Lindsey."

Claire nodded, her eyes sad. "We all are," she said, adopting her motherly tone.

Jill played with the hem of her suit jacket. "I hadn't heard from her for two days, which is weird, so I went by her desk." She looked at the floor, and dropped her hands onto the couch. "Jacobi said she was in the break room."

Claire nodded in encouragement. She realized she also hadn't seen her best friend in a few days.

"When I got up there, she didn't even notice me!" Jill's voice was slowly creeping up in pitch. "She was staring at a file folder, and it took me touching her arm to get a reaction."

Claire's eyes widened slightly, "That's not overly unusual for our Linz. It's probably just a frustrating case."

Jill shook her head, a tear slid down her cheek. "I'm pretty sure it's more than that, Claire. She looks like she hasn't slept in at least a week, and I think she was wearing the same clothes from two days ago." Jill angrily wiped the tear on her cheek away. "When I touched her arm, she nearly clocked me."

Claire's jaw dropped, "Oh, this is not good."

Jill nodded as she wiped another tear away. The two women stood staring at each other as Cindy walked in bearing a bag full of Chinese food. "Good afternoon! I come bearing lunch..." she trailed off and looked around. "Where's Lindsey?"

Claire shook her head. Jill sniffed, and stood up. "You explain it Claire. I am supposed to be in court in half an hour, and I need to fix my face now."

Cindy looked genuinely confused, "Explain what?"

Claire gestured towards the couch, and helped the girl unpack the greasy lunch. "It's about Lindsey, something's gone wrong." When Cindy jumped up in a panic, Claire held out a reassuring hand, "Nothing like that. She's just falling back into a very dangerous habit. One that Jill and I have seen before. It never ends well, so we have to be on alert for it."

Cindy nodded, "Kiss Me Not all over again?"

Claire nodded, not looking up. "What you missed before was her complete withdrawal into herself. She stopped sleeping for a while. Stopped eating. She blames Tom for leaving her, but he really wasn't at fault." Claire took a deep breath before continuing, "The case consumed her. She shut him out of every part of her life."

Cindy's eye glistened with unshed tears, "Like she's doing now." It wasn't so much a question as a statement.

"It's going to get worse. She won't just ignore us. She'll ignore the job, she'll get sloppy when she's on patrol. She'll get hurt and keep on going. If Pete were still around, he would probably be pushed away along with the rest of us." Claire's pager went off, alerting her to another crime scene.

"This case is going to consume her." Claire packed her bag of supplies to take to the crime scene.

A head poked around the door frame, "Ready to go?" Lindsey was jingling her keys in her hand.

"I'll take the van in case we have to transport anything," Claire said, not looking up.

Cindy frowned at her Turning to Lindsey, she smiled, "I need a ride." She jumped up, and ignored the withering look of her detective friend. Lindsey didn't fight her on it, and Cindy didn't know what was worse; her resignation or the complete stony silence in the car on the way to the crime scene.

"Hey,"she said cheerily, "You know if there's anything I can do to help with the case, you just have to ask."

Lindsey just nodded.

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"But this case is your eleventh this week, Denise!" Jill pleaded with the DA.

Denise rolled her eyes, "I am well aware of my case load Miss Bernhardt. What does this have to do with you?"

Jill growled, "It involves me, because you are taking every case that comes this way. You haven't handed a case my way in weeks!"

Denise flipped the file folder from the stack in her arms, into Jill's gesticulating hands. Then she walked away with a "Don't screw it up," tossed over her shoulder.

Slamming her office door, Jill took the file to her desk, and flipped through it all. Lindsey was right, there was no evidence.

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The crime scene looked eerily familiar to everyone around. There was something about it that they couldn't put their finger on, but it looked the same as the last crime scene, and the one before that.

Lindsey ducked under the tape, and headed over to the body. Cindy looked around the crowd, flashes in her brain reminding her of the other crime scenes. She thought back to the photos in Lindsey's evidence files, and tried to find what it was that was making the connection in her brain.

Suddenly, it all clicked. She lifted a hand to her mouth, and turned to flee the crime scene. Hailing a cab, she directed him to the Hall of Justice, where she raced to find Lieutenant Tom Hogan.


	3. Obstruction

Cindy sat across from Tom, her knees jerking up and down in a nervous rhythm that made her look more childlike than usual. Tom was on the phone when she had walked in, and kept looking up apologetically as the call continued.

Cindy could barely hold it in anymore, so she grabbed a piece of paper off his desk and motioned for him to hand her a pen. He furrowed his brow, but handed one over.

She wrote in big, block letters: I KNOW THE CONNECTION, and held it up for him to see.

Tom read it once, went back to his call, the his head shot up and he put the receiver of the phone down. "What?"

Cindy smiled her sly smile, "They're all plaintiffs in a class action law suit against the San Fransisco teacher's union." Tom stared at her blankly. Cindy took a deep breath and continued, "About a year ago, the Board of Education started some major cutbacks, which were supposed to help with their decimated budget. They were trying to cut teacher's jobs..."

Tom cut in, "I know, Heather's job was only saved by a thread."

Cindy frowned, "The teacher's union went along with the lay offs, and the teacher's got together an sued the union reps for misrepresenting them. They won. The union was almost folded because of it."

Tom put his head in his hands, "Why are you not telling Lindsey? I mean, I appreciate the information, but why not tell your best friend?"

Cindy looked at her hands, "I don't want to make her more obsessed." It was barely a mumble.

Tom only nodded. He fully understood her concern, but it was still Lindsey's case. "You have to tell her. It's her case still, and she needs to solve it. So any leads you have, you need to tell her."

Cindy nodded "I know that. I just figured you might be able to give us all some idea how to snap her out of this."

Tom sighed, "Miss Thoma, I may not know you well, but I'm sure you know our story." Cindy nodded. "If I knew how to snap her out of it, we would still be together. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to call the mayor back."

Cindy stood up to go. "Make sure you warn Heather."

Tom waved her out the door.

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Lindsey was bent over the carnage. Claire was crouched by the victim, doing her preliminary exam.

The medical examiner photographer was snapping pictures of the scene, while Lindsey looked at the area.

"It's well lit during the day. It would have had to be done at night. Like the others, it was really violent." She rubbed her forehead and glanced over her shoulder at Jacobi who was interviewing wittinesses.

Claire stood up, "TOD is approximately six to nine hours ago. COD is the same as the other four victims. The face was stripped of flesh, the finger tips were removed, and the abdominal cavity was split. I will take her back to the morgue to try to find what I can."

Lindsey nodded as she stood up. She dusted the dirt off her jeans and walked away to her car.

Claire stared after her while the morgue assistants put the fifth victim in the van. When she could take it no longer, she ran after her friend. "Lindsey! Wait up a second!"

Lindsey stopped in her tracks, her arms dropped to her sides, and she dropped her head. Claire caught up and put a hand on her arm, "What is going on Linz? You've been ignoring us all the last few days, you nearly hit Jill this morning, and according to Tom, you've barely looked at another case in weeks." She stared into her friend's eyes. "We're worried about you sweetie."

Lindsey let out the breath she'd been holding, "I'm fine. There's no reason to worry about me." She tried to walk away, but Claire pulled her back.

"You don't get to decide that. We've been through this before," Claire's temper was rising. "We love you Lindsey, and we all know that you want to catch this guy, we do too. We want to help you, and this time, no one is giving up."

Across the plaza, Jacobi was watching the exchange out of the corner of his eye, and he smiled as the coroner tore in to his partner. It was about time.

Claire held fast to the skinny detective, and fought hard to keep the tears in her eyes from falling. "Just let us in, Lindsey."

Lindsey pulled her arm out of Claire's grasp, "I am fine. I will see you all at the diner." She walked away, leaving Claire standing by herself with her arm outstretched.

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Jacobi was standing over Lindsey, who was sleeping with her head on her arms. She was exhausted, and he felt awful to have to wake her, but Cindy Thomas was going to burst through her skin if she didn't pass on her information.

He shook her shoulder. "Lindsey. You need to wake up."

She stirred, and looked up at him, sheepishly, photos of the latest crime scene already spread under her on the desk. "Wassat Jacobi?" She mumbled, still half asleep.

He frowned. "Your reporter friend is here. She has been harassing Tom and I to talk to you."

Lindsey stood up and he pointed her to the interrogation room, where her friend was pacing. As soon as she saw Lindsey, Cindy started talking at rapid speed, describing her theory, holding out piece after piece of paper to back her up. Lindsey took it all in without changing her expression.

"Thanks," she said curtly, taking the papers. "Now, why didn't you tell me all of this at the crime scene instead of coming back here and telling Tom and Jacobi?" The hint of anger in her voice was hard to miss.

Cindy started twirling the string on her hoodie. "I ... I just wanted to make sure that I was on the right track, and you were busy." Her voice was almost a full octave higher than usual. The fact that she couldn't make eye contact with Lindsey, cemented the lie.

Lindsey crossed her arms, and shifted her weight to her left hip. "You wanna try again?" She asked pointedly. "Or are you going to give me the same speech as Claire and Jill? You're worried, and you don't want to see me hurt."

Cindy just nodded. Lindsey scowled at her. "Try that again, and I will arrest you for obstruction. I mean it Cindy, and I don't care if you are my friend."

Cindy didn't make a single move. She froze like a deer in the headlights as Lindsey walked out of the room. Cindy flipped her cell phone open, and dialed. "You're right. It's gotten bad. She just threatened me with obstruction charges."


	4. Expected Unexpected

Shorter than the first three, but I managed to get it up before falling asleep. :)

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Jill and Claire were waiting in the diner. Neither of them were able to make eye contact with each other, so they silently sipped their drinks and stared around the diner. They didn't even notice Cindy enter until she sat down grumpily and dropped her bag on the floor.

No one said anything for a few minutes except to order food and exchange pleasantries with the waitress. Finally, Claire broke, "Okay, we have to do something. This really can't go on much longer before she ends up hurt."

Jill nodded, "I managed to get this case away from Denise, so I should be able to help with any court orders or warrants. That won't help solve anything, but it might make the process go faster once we do find something."

Claire smiled, "Thanks to Lois Lane here we have a solid lead for her to focus on, but I still think we need to hold an intervention." A wicked glint came to her eye. "Maybe we can get Pete to show up and help us. You know, for support."

Jill and Cindy smiled, though it was a very valid idea. Lindsey wandered in, smiled at the group, and sat down in her usual chair, stealing a fry from Jill as she did.

"Ladies," she drawled, smiling at them.

"You look like a cat with a canary," Jill quipped.

Lindsey nodded, "We have a suspect thanks to Cindy's lead. This guy was heard threatening the teachers who opposed the union. Loudly."

"Is there anything fit for print yet?" Cindy asked.

Lindsey shook her head, "Sorry, honey. Until we have something more solid, I'd rather keep it all under my hat. Or rather, our hat. I'll let you know this afternoon."

Cindy smiled, at least the aggravation of the day before had payed off in the case, at least somewhat. It was the first solid lead in the case since it had all began. Jill offered to help with arrest warrants as soon as they had something tangible.

Claire was just happy to have her friend back, even temporarily. "So, how is Pete? You haven't mentioned him in a while." She managed to ask it without revealing the grin that tugged at her lips.

Lindsey smiled and leaned back to let the waitress set her food down. "He's good. The hotel is going up faster than expected. We're talking of a visit in the new few weeks. He has to come back to San Fransisco to tie up a few business matters."

Jill laughed, "Business matters such as a wedding ring?"

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "Please, I am eating. We've only been together for three months, two of which he has been overseas." She put a fry in her mouth. "We're not even thinking about marriage."

Cindy polished off her coffee and stood. "While I hate to eat and run, my boss is chomping at the bit for a story, and I need to tell him there's nothing yet. I'll stall as long as I can, and if I have to, I'll do a feature piece on your awesome detective work." She nudged Lindsey's shoulder with her hip.

Lindsey laughed, "Spare me the humiliation." She patted the young reporter's arm, "I will call you as soon as I have anything. I'm sorry about yesterday. I went a little mental for a few days."

Cindy left, and the three ladies finished their meal in comfortable silence.

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The climb up to the attic was getting far too familiar. The photos covered almost every inch of the walls and a stack of papers on the desk, waiting to be sorted.

Sitting in the well-worn chair, Lindsey just stared at the faces, scenery and lab reports surrounding her. "Stare at that wall long enough and you'll see a sailboat," Jacobi had quipped. She smiled at the memory.

"I caught that one, and this one will be no different." She flipped open the first folder, and just started reading.

It was well past three in the morning when her cell phone snapped her out of her trance-ike state. She flipped it open without checking the caller id.

"Boxer." There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed rapidly by a sob. Lindsey pulled the phone away and saw who was calling.

"Tom?"

The words that came across the phone line were only slightly shocking since they'd made the connection to the victims, but the none the less sent a chill down Lindsey's spine.

"Heather's missing."


	5. Only a Matter of Minutes

A fair bit of angst to this one, though I promise I will try to get things happier soon. Though I don't promise anything.

Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers! It feels good to be back in the habit of writing again, even if they aren't my own characters.

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Lindsey slammed her car door shut, and ran to the front door. She hesitated at the threshold, unsure if she should just walk in, or knock. She lifted her hand to knock, dropped it, then shook her hand up and down before rapping sharply on the door.

She waited, rocking from her heels to her toes. A few moments passed before she gave up and opened the front door. She was immediately surrounded by green. The walls were painted a dark green, and there were leafy plants all over the entrance way. They extended down the hall, with more on the platform on the second floor.

Tom was sitting in a large armchair off to the left of the front door. His head was in his hands, and he didn't look up at the sound of the front door, or Lindsey's footsteps in the hall. She walked to him, and knelt in front of his chair.

"Hey, where are the unis? Have you called anyone?" She put her hand on his knee. "Are you okay?"

Tom shook his head, "I called, they're looking. There really wasn't anything here, because she never came home from school. I sent them all away."

Lindsey stood up and moved to the chair opposite him. She stared at the man she used to love... that she still loved, and her heart broke. He was absolutely defeated. His wife was missing, possibly with a serial killer.

"Linz, I just don't know what to do. Normally, we're on the other side of these things. I have to find her." Tom's voice was ragged and hoarse, like he'd been crying.

Lindsey nodded, feeling the emotion rise up in her throat. "I am going to make a few calls, and then go to the station to see what I can do there." She stood up to leave, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

Tom reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her, "Please don't leave me here alone."

Lindsey felt a tingle run down her arm, and through her body. She sat back down and dialed through her contacts to get to the numbers she needed. Pressing the first name, she held the phone to her ear with one hand, and Tom's hand with the other.

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The four friends sat around Tom's sitting room, afraid to breathe, scared of saying or doing the wrong thing. Jacobi was in the hall, on his phone with the investigators at the station trying to get updates.

Tom hadn't said anything when Lindsey called in the girls. He knew those three had some kind of connection, and who was he to mess with the best detective on his force. Those women were able to locate, capture and convict any criminal who crossed their path. When it involved his wife, Tom wanted the best.

That meant Lindsey.

As they all waited, silently praying the phone wouldn't ring with bad news, Tom stared into space. He suddenly knew how Lindsey felt when she got too close to a case. Nothing else mattered, and he could process no other thoughts.

It played over and over in his head that it was his fault. He should have kept her safer,kept her home, put more undercover officers at her school. There had to have been more he could do to have kept her safe.

Lindsey could almost hear his thoughts and had no idea how to snap him out of it. She knew that the fault track so firmly ingrained in her own brain was looping in his head. She held on to his hand, not wanting to let go, and not knowing what else to do.

Claire spoke first, breaking the eerie spell that had been keeping them all hostage. "We need to do something. Sitting here isn't exactly going to help anything." Tom didn't even lift his head to respond.

Lindsey shot her a dirty look.

"I am not trying to be mean, I just think that if we get out there are doing something and not sitting here moping and feeling uncomfortable." She stood up. "I am going to go back to the morgue to see if I can find any clues."

Cindy followed suit, "I am going to go to my office. I don't have anything to research - - "

"No," Lindsey said, not taking her eyes off of Tom, "You, go to my house with Jill. She knows where to go. See if you can find anything that will help. Put that crazy brain of yours to use with my insanity."

The blond and the redhead walked out of the living room after Claire, leaving Tom and Lindsey alone with Jacobi. He snapped his phone shut and looked into the sitting room. His partner and his boss were in the same spot as when he arrived, still holding hands. He cleared his throat, but they didn't even notice him.

He left quietly, a scowl on his face, and a heavy heart with the knowledge that his partner was going to get hurt, again.

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Tom could feel the coolness of her skin in the warmth of his. The pulse in her thumb beat against the palm of his hand. The sensation was familiar and comfortable, and the only thing keeping him from snapping.

The lack of sound in the house was unnerving, and the only sounds were his and Lindsey's breathing. It was unlike anything he had every experienced. When Heather was home, there was always music or laughter, or clanging dishes. Even the shuffle of some paperwork would have eased his mind.

He stared off into the hallway, and saw the plants. The picture of their wedding day stood on the desk to the left of the doorway. A pillow they'd bought on their honeymoon still smelled of her perfume.

Suddenly, the whole house was too close and confining. He stood up, startling Lindsey, and started pacing. Lindsey just watched him agitatedly walk back and forth between the front door and the armchair he had just vacated.

She didn't know what to do or say, so she just watched. She felt like someone was twisting a knife in her chest. The longer she watched him, the harder it was to not wrap him in her arms. To not give in to her desires and wrap him in her entire body.

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Jill and Cindy were in the attic at Lindsey's apartment. Cindy had already choked back tears and bile, and was sifting through the mountains of paperwork before her. Jill was holding her head over a garbage can, trying not to throw up for the third time. Walking from picture to picture, then glancing at the notes she'd been making, Cindy was desperately trying to make sense of it all.

"How does she live like this?" Cindy whispered it to herself, but Jill heard.

Wiping her mouth on a handkerchief, she sat herself up straight. "She lives like this, because it's easier than dealing with the pain of everything else. Lindsey thinks that if she lets the work consume, lets a case consume her, she won't have to let her feelings consume her."

Cindy made no motion that she'd heard or understood, but a tear slipped down her cheek and fell onto the yellow legal pad.

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Lindsey couldn't stand watching him pace anymore. She pressed her hands to her knees and pushed herself up. Her legs were numb from sitting. It took two steps to reach him, as though he had been walking to meet her.

Her arms snaked around his waist, and he gave in to the sensation. Melting in to her curves, he finally broke, and cried. Though it felt like hours, it was only a matter of minutes before the sound of a phone ringing broke their embrace.

Lindsey picked up her frantically vibrating cell phone and snapped it open. "Boxer," she answered the call, her eyes not leaving Tom's face.

Her own neutral expression shifted into one of deep concern and upset. "Yeah, I'll be right there."

Tom wiped his eyes, and hardened his heart for the news that was about to come. Lindsey looked at him with the weight of the world in her eyes. Her voice was barely a whisper. "They found her."


	6. The Widower

I am so sorry!! My internet has been down, and then my disk with this chapter on it stopped working and had to go in to the computer doctor. I will be posting a few today to make up for it.

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Tom stayed in the car, completely numb. The unis had secured the scene,and the morgue had erected tents to block the view of the remains, meaning it was bad. He had driven with Lindsey, but wasn't able to bring himself to leave the car. If it was Heather, he didn't want to see her like that.

Lindsey's attention was entirely focussed on the scene. She hadn't even noticed that Tom wasn't with her. She was crouched next to the disembodied remains of a female victim.

This scene was far more bloody than any other they had seen. The victim was missing her arms and large chunks of her flesh had been removed. Much as Lindsey made fun of Jill for tossing her cookies at crime scenes, even she had to force herself to swallow down the dinner that threatened to come back up.

This was worse thank Kiss Me Not. While that case had nearly consumed her every waking moment, the people involved were not personally known to her. It made it harder for her to distance herself, but she was going to stick with this case to get answers for him.

Claire found herself splitting her focus between Lindsey's silence and the remains in front of her. The victim was almost definitely Heather. The hair, skin tone, body build and delicate features gave her that. DNA would have to give them a definitive answer.

She stood up and waved an assistant over. He began packing up the remains to be transported back to the lab. Lindsey stood at the same time. "It's her Linz. You need to be the one to tell him."

Lindsey nodded. "It's escalating. The violence and severity of the attacks are getting worse. We really need to stop this son of a bitch." She was staring off into space, and Claire wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or to her.

Claire grabbed her friend's arms and turned her towards the car where Tom sat with his head in his hands. Lindsey leaned back into Claire and her friend wrapped her in a tight hug. "Be gentle with him, hon. He just lost his wife."

Lindsey returned to her car, where Tom was looking everywhere but at her. He knew what she was going to say, but that didn't mean he was ready to hear it. he squeezed his eyes shut as she sat down and pulled her door shut.

"Tom, I am so sorry." Lindsey felt that her heart had been missing since the moment her phone rang.

Tom didn't respond. He continued to stare out the windshield, entirely numb. It was too difficult to process it all. He didn't want to know. Didn't want to be the one to tell her family, or her class full of kids. He just didn't want to know.

Lindsey just waited. She knew what this felt like. She and Tom had lost their baby, and it crushed her. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think about it, and she knew he would need a long time before it made sense. Right now, she just wanted him to acknowledge the loss at all.

But he was numb.

Lindsey started the car's engine. "Let me drive you home, Tom. I'll call your mother." He didn't respond, and she didn't expect him to.

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Cindy was aimlessly flipping through files at this point. Jill had dozed off in the chair over an hour ago, and Cindy desperately wanted to join in her slumber. The women had re-read every file and scrap of paper in Lindsey's attic. It was devastating and pointless.

Her eyes turned from the file folders in front of her on the floor to take in the rest of the room once more.

Then suddenly, something in one of the photos on the wall caught her eye. She walked over to it, and pulled it off the wall. Then she rushed back to the desk and tossed a few folders off the desk in her search for what she had found.

"I've found it!" she screamed, jarring Jill from her nap. "I found the connection! It was hidden in a photo, but one of the officers had made note of the same feature in their crime scene report!" She was speaking very quickly, and Jill shook her head to try to keep up.

Cindy held up the photo and the police report. The photo was of a small metal disk, that Jill could barely discern through the blood and grass in the shot. Nodding sleeping for Cindy to continue, Jill flipped open her phone to call Claire at the morgue.

"I think I've seen this before," Cindy said, pointing to the photo. "It was in one of our papers about the union case. I need to get back to my office to be sure."

Jill flipped the phone closed. "There's no answer. Get me a name, and something to corroborate your hunch, and I will get Lindsey a warrant to arrest this guy."

Cindy jumped up from the edge of the desk, and kissed Jill on the lips. I will call in ten minutes. Wake up a judge." And then she was gone.

Jill stood in the middle of the room, pressing her fingertips to her mouth. "What the --"

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Lindsey pulled the car into Tom's driveway. She cut the engine and waited for him to make a move. He had stared blankly out of the window for the entire trip. She had left him to his introspection.

He opened his door after a few minutes of silence, and walked inside. He felt dead, and Lindsey knew that his numb feeling was going to only get worse. She walked him to the door, watched him unlock it, and turned to leave.

"Lindsey," his voice was small and hollow. "Please don't leave me." He pulled her back into his chest, and just held her tight.


	7. A Suspect Union

This one is short, but at least it's going up there. :)

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The sunlight was filtered with soft green. Lindsey groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. She took a deep breath, and her eyes flew open. This wasn't her room. She turned on to her side, and looked around.

It all came back to her in flashes. Tom pulling her in for a hug, him breaking down in the sitting room, the two of them pounding back shots a he sobbed. She held him until he fell asleep on his couch, then sneaked upstairs to their guest room to get a few hours herself.

Lindsey lifted the sheets on the bed to be sure. She was still wearing her tank top and underwear from the night before.. Breathing a sigh of relief, she kicked the sheets off her legs, stood up and looked around her. The room was sparsely decorated, but looked like something out of a magazine. The bedspread matched the drapes, the drapes coordinated with the carpet and everything seemed to match.

Scrunching her nose at it all, Lindsey pulled her jeans on from beside the bed. Tom was still sleeping on the couch when she got down the stairs. Quietly, so she wouldn't wake him, Lindsey crept to the kitchen to make a strong pot of coffee.

Tom had called his parents in the night before, and Heather's parents were already on their way. She wanted to be gone in anything but an official capacity before they arrived. As the coffee brewed, she checked the front door for a morning paper.

Cindy had done her job properly, and while it was front page, there were no gruesome crime scene photos of Heather in the news. Just a picture of her looking cute and sweet and very much alive.

Sitting down to drink the coffee while it was still hot, Lindsey reached for her phone to find six text messages.

Cindy: I have something. Get yourself here now. At the office.

Jill: Have a search warrant in the works. Cindy found something good. Call me.

Cindy: Where are you? I need to okay this before I send it to print.

Claire: Autopsy starting. Do you want in on this?

Jill: Sending Jacobi to execute the warrant. Where are you? We need to talk.

Claire: We're all here for breakfast. Are you at Tom's? Call me right away!!

Scowling, Lindsey dialed Claire's cell phone. It picked up after the first ring. "Hey, it's me. What is this about a warrant?"

Cindy must have taken the phone out of Claire's hand, because the first thing she heard was a super speed explanation. Something about a union pin and a police report. There was more shuffling and then Jill's voice took over.

"Cindy found evidence in your photos and a random police report of a union pin at each crime scene. I had Claire dust them both for prints and they both shared the same one. The thumb of a local union rep."

Lindsey sucked in her breath. How could she have missed that?

She hung up the phone, stewing over her own stupidity. They'd had the son of a bitch in custody and he walked away because of an alibi Jacobi was supposed to have checked out. Heather's disappearance had taken precedence.

He must have nabbed her before they had brought him in for custody.


	8. Little Voices

It dawned on Jill first that there would be hell to pay when word got out that a Lieutenant's wife had been murdered. Cindy put it together shortly thereafter, namely when her phone started ringing off the hook. Claire was up to her hips in bodies from a weekend shootout between two rival gangs, and it honestly hadn't crossed her mind.

But Lindsey hadn't left Tom's side. She went home twice a day to walk Martha and check her mail, but other than that she managed his affairs. Bills were paid, funeral arrangements were made, and family was contended with. Tom chalked it all up to an inspector doing her job, but he secretly liked having her around. She kept him grounded and stopped the nightmares from coming.

The hardest explanation yet, had been Heather's family. Her parents were devastated, and they wanted answers. Answers neither Tom or Lindsey could give. The fallout from their meeting had dissolved to a screaming match between Tom and Heather's dad in the kitchen. He accused Tom of having an affair to stop himself from feeling anything about Heather's death. Heather's dad insinuated that Lindsey wasn't even trying to find his daughter's killer.

Tom had thrown the man out of his home and spent two days hiding in his room.

Jacobi had been sending updates to Tom on the leads Cindy had given Lindsey. The union representative was on the lam, and despite his photo being plastered all over the news for two weeks, no sign of him was found. Lindsey kept hoping he would show up without another murder, and even though the lack of another victim was always a good sign, the lack of their primary suspect wasn't a good thing.

It had been almost a month since Heather's death.

Lindsey poked her head into Tom's office, where he was blankly staring at his computer."Do you need anything from the store? I need to pick up some coffee and filters."

Tom shook his head, then looked up. "I want to come with you. Give me a few minutes."

Lindsey leaned up against the door frame, and took a deep breath. Things really had changed. Pete had stopped calling her, and while she wanted to be upset about it, she couldn't really muster the desire to care. They'd both known it would be a matter of time before the long distance thing stopped working. It wasn't for lack of trying on either of their part, but when you can only get together every few months, the passion of a new relationship tends to die out, and there's nothing left to talk about.

Now she had been thrust into this whole situation with Tom, and while she didn't entirely hate it, she wasn't sure where to turn next. It was almost as though they were back together. Lindsey shook that thought from her mind as quickly as it had entered. The man had just lost his wife.

"_But every time you try to go home or even to the store, he wants to be right by your side."_ The little voice in her head reminded her.

Tom shut down his computer, and pushed his chair back to stand up, when he noticed Lindsey deep in thought. He knew he was being selfish, making her stay with him, but with Heather gone, she was the only thing keeping him together.

He walked towards her, and she didn't seem to notice until his hand touched her arm. She jumped slightly, and pulled back. "Ready to go?" She asked, rubbing the spot his fingers had just been.

"_If you don't care about him, why does he still make your skin tingle when he touches you?"_ That little voice could be persistent.

They headed to the front door, Tom's hand on the small of her back, a familiar occurrence from when they'd still been married. He opened the door to the car with his remote key chain, and held the passenger door for her.

"Thanks," she whispered, her voice sounded broken and yet oddly childlike to her own ears.

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Tom walked behind the car, to get in, but had to mentally shake himself first. This was not the time to develop feelings for his ex-wife. He had just lost his wife, and while he'd never really been over Lindsey, it was totally inappropriate.

It was time to send Lindsey home, and back to work on his wife's murder case.

With eyes still stinging, he got into the car, and silently started the ignition. They drove to the nearest Kroger's and began walking up and down the aisles. Their bodies were so close, Tom could smell Lindsey's shampoo in her hair. He took a deep breath in through his nose, and slowly exhaled through his mouth.

They wandered into the beauty section, and Tom's eyes fell on Heather's brand of body wash. His throat felt very tight, and he knew that if they didn't move away, he was going to end up in tears on the grocery store floor. He reached out and grabbed Lindsey's hand, squeezing it to try and calm himself down.

Her head nearly tore off her skinny shoulders as it snapped around to look at him. "You okay?" she whispered.

Tom could only shake his head. _"What the hell is wrong with you? Just walk away from the aisle. Stop being such a pussy."_ Tom ignored the little voice in his head, and felt a tear slide down his cheek. Then he felt a tug on his hand, and Lindsey was pulling him out of the store, their cart of food and snacks abandoned in the middle of the aisle.

He let her lead him to the car, without much resistance. Her grip was reassuring, and her constant chatter was soothing. He had no idea what she was saying, and he couldn't make it out through the running commentary of thoughts in his head.

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Settling Tom in the car took next to no effort, he was as limp as a rag doll under Lindsey's guidance. She closed the door firmly, and climbed into the driver's seat.

Tom was staring straight ahead, spine straight and his hands folded in his lap. It was killing her to see him like this. He was the ghost of the Tom Hogan she knew and loved. _"But you don't love him anymore,"_ her little voice reminded her. _"You don't love anyone, remember. You're Lindsey Boxer. Tough SFPD inspector!"_

Lindsey shrugged her shoulders and cracked her neck. Tom looked up at the sound.

"You better now?" She asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

Tom smiled, "Right as rain. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. It happens to the best of us, panic attacks in the shampoo aisle." Lindsey playfully punched him in the arm. "Want me to go pay for our stuff?"

Tom nodded, still feeling guilty.

Lindsey re-opened the driver's door, grateful for the few moments of silence to clear her head.

As soon as she got back in the store, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Claire's cell.

"Washburne" was the response after three rings.

Lindsey grinned, "I am so glad you answered, can you talk?"

"You have about thirty seconds before I need to get back to work. What's up?"

Lindsey hesitated; what if she was wrong? "Tom. Tom is up."

The sign on the other end was unmistakable. "Lindsey, no." This was definitely not Claire's nice voice. "The man just lost his wife, you just lost Pete, and it is a bad idea all around. Get Jacobi to babysit him if he needs it, but it's time for you to get out of there and move on with your life."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Claire." Lindsey was on the full defensive. "What makes you think I wanted to be back with Tom in the first place?"

Claire rolled her eyes, and Lindsey knew it from the tone of her voice when she responded. "I don't know, could it be your history with the man, the tone of your voice, or maybe just the fact that you two have been playing house for the last month."

It was Lindsey's turn to roll her eyes. "My thirty seconds are up. Go back to work. I will meet you and the girls for dinner." She snapped her phone closed as she found their previously abandoned cart.

"I am not in love with Tom," she muttered under her breath, cutting off the tiny voice in the back of her mind that was doing cartwheels with hearts in its eyes.


	9. Turn of Events

This chapter is MOST DEFINITELY rated M. If you are under 18, please skip to the next chapter, which will hopefully be posted around the same time...

Side note: writing this chapter in a church made me feel super dirty, yet was super fun at the same time... :P

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Lindsey and Tom drove silently back to his house. She, mulling over everything Claire had said, and he, mulling over all the feelings he wanted to suppress.

As Lindsey was putting groceries away in their proper cupboards, Tom sat, watching her at the kitchen table. She moved with an amazing sense of grace, switching between the high and low cupboards with ease. He could see the hint of muscles moving beneath her tank-top.

He could feel his body flush with heat.

Lindsey felt his eyes on her, and tried very hard to keep herself from blushing. It was hard to concentrate with him in the room, and she kept fumbling the boxes and cans. Why he was letting her do all the work, she had no idea, but she had to fight herself to turn to face him.

When everything was tucked away in its proper spot, she busied herself with rewashing dishes on the counter. She heard Tom's chair scrape against the tile floor.

Heart pounding in her chest, she set the last mug back on the counter to dry. Suddenly, two very powerful arms snaked around her waist. She turned in their grip, and came head to chin with Tom.

"Tom," Lindsey uttered in a warning tone. "We really shouldn't --" he cut her off with a kiss. A kiss that melted her resolve and made everything that had been going on between them disappear.

She returned the kiss, her tongue exploring his, and her arms wrapping around his neck. It felt right. So very right.

He lifted her easily into his arms, and carried her up the stairs, their lips barely breaking contact. He set her down on the bed, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

She propped herself up on her elbows and drank him in. The sight of him was all she remembered. Smooth, muscular and hard. Tom leaned in for a kiss, and she could feel the skin of him through her thin cotton shirt. His hands found the hem of it, and tugged it over her shoulders, and off.

He pressed close, and she could feel his hardness against her belly. Her hands snaked around his waist and her fingers hooked his belt loops, keeping him right up against her. His thumbs found their way to the cups of her bra, and brushed up against her nipples.

Moaning as he did it again, Lindsey arched her back so he could get better access. She let go of his pants, and reached behind herself to unhook her bra. Tom inhaled sharply, then leaned forward to take her offered nipple into his mouth. Lindsey ran her fingers through his hair as he suckled.

"Take off your pants," she muttered. It came out harsh and low, from the back of her throat. Tom shucked his pants down his legs, and Lindsey was surprised that he wasn't wearing anything under them.

She laughed as she flipped him over, and straddled his legs. She could feel his erection pressing into her thighs. Rocking forward, she hung over him, her hair creating a tent above their faces. She leaned down to kiss him, but barely brushed her lips against his. He groaned as he tried to pull her closer and she slipped down between his legs.

Pulling him into her mouth, he moaned even louder, not wanting it to stop. She expertly worked him and out of her lips. His fingers were twisting into the bedsheets as he tried to hold back.

Lindsey looked up through her eyelashes and saw his ecstasy. He reached down to pull her off of him, and flipped them over. His eyes were glazed over with pleasure as he dipped his head to return the favor.

His mouth found her wet and wanting. Tom's tongue darted over her clit, and she moaned, arching her pelvis to meet his mouth. Lindsey's moans increased the harder he worked her.

With a final flick of his tongue, Lindsey was at the brink of orgasm.

"I want you in me, Tom. Please," she was begging him her voice high and urgent.

He pressed himself inside her, sighing at the closeness of her. Lindsey's back lifted off the mattress as her orgasm overcame her. Tom wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her up until she was sitting on him. He thrust into her, deepening his own desire.

As she came, Lindsey lifted herself up on his manhood, and impaled herself upon him over and over, drawing out the pleasure. He filled her entirely, always had, and she had missed this feeling more than she could possibly imagine.

Tom felt her walls tighten around him, gripping him in their smooth wetness. He couldn't take anymore, and felt his own orgasm overtake him. Lindsey felt his muscles tighten in his shoulders and then felt a warmth spread through her. Too late, she remembered protection, then suddenly, just didn't care.

They collapsed onto each other, their legs tangled, their fingers intertwined, and promptly fell asleep.


	10. Betrayal

Wow... that was a... strange chapter to write... smut isn't my strong suit...

Anyway, back to my normal T rating. :D I hope this chapter makes sense to people who skipped the last chapter, I will attempt to have it not be super important.

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It wasn't early morning sun, or a buzzing alarm clock that woke Lindsey, but something was buzzing under her thigh that hadn't stopped for fifteen minutes. Groggily, she reached down and batted at the annoyance.

Tom grumbled and rolled over in his sleep. She smiled at his bare ass, and tried to slap the vibrating thing away again, only to realize it was her phone.

"Boxer," she answered, still half asleep.

Jacobi's voice pierced her post-coital brain fog. "Lindsey?"

Lindsey's brows furrowed, "Jacobi? What's going on?"

"Well, first I would rather talk to the person I called, is Lieutenant Hogan there?"

"Tom? He's sleeping," Lindsey nudged him with her elbow. "What's going on Jacobi?"

Jacobi huffed into the phone, "Well, it's in regards to his wife's case. I would rather tell him personally, unless you have a problem with that, Inspector."

It was Lindsey's turn to huff. "I have no problem with it Jacobi, but he's sleeping. D'you want me to wake him?" She elbowed him again in the side.

"Well, before you do, there have been two really big problems in the precinct today. One named Jill Bernheardt, and the other by the name of Claire Washburne."

Lindsy sighed, "What did they want?"

"To talk to you it seems. Apparently ever since Heather's death, no one's really seen you. I'm aware that Tom has left you off duty to care for him, but you still have friends, Lindsey." His tone was harsh and cold.

There was a pang of guilt that ran through Lindsey's heart. She glanced over at Tom, who was rubbing his eyes a he tried to wake up. She rolled her eyes at him and he tried not to laugh. Jacobi was famous for his speeches.

"Jacobi, I'll deal with them. Tom's awake, do you want to talk to him now?"

Lindsey handed the phone over before he could respond.

Then she stood up, wrapped a bed sheet around herself and padded off to the bathroom while Tom talked. She looked at her face in the bathroom mirror, and pressed her fingers against the bags under her eyes. She was worn out and looked really haggard.

Twisting the faucet in the shower, she waited until the steam started to rise from the stall floor and stepped in. The water felt great on her skin, and she stood there for five minutes before starting to lather up.

She washed her hair, and enjoyed the spray for a few more minutes before getting out and toweling off. She wrapped a bath sheet around her, tossed the bed sheet into the laundry bin, and wandered back into the bedroom.

Tom's head was in his hands, and he was sitting on the side of the bed. Shoulder's slumped, face screwed up in pain, and fighting back obvious tears.

"Tom?" Lindsey walked softly up to him, and touched him on the shoulder. He didn't react. "What did Jacobi say?"

Tom's eyes were red rimmed as he met her worried gaze.

"You need to leave, Lindsey. Right now, today," Tom's voice sounded broken.

Lindsey was stunned. She picked up her clothes that were strewn on the floor, and left the room, closing the door behind her.


	11. Screw Ups

The girls were gathered around Lindsey's living room, looking at her worriedly. Cindy and Jill sat side by side on the arms of the armchair, while Claire sat at one edge of the couch. Lindsey was curled on her side, her arms wrapped around Martha.

"Sweetie,"Claire rubbed her leg, "you need to talk to us. Tell us what happened."

Lindsey didn't speak, she just shook her head and stroked her dog. Claire's hand made small circles on her calf. The women sat in silence for a while, the tension building as Lindsey's breathing became more ragged. She started sobbing into Martha's fur.

Jill reached out and grabbed Cindy's hand in her own. Claire stopped rubbing Lindsey's leg. "That's enough now. You have to pull yourself together and tell us what's going on. You can not let this... whatever it is... beat you. Now stand up, and be the Inspector you can be."

Lindsey sobbed a final time, and lifted her head, "I screwed up." It was a whisper, barely loud enough for Claire to hear.

The women all looked at each other, worried looks on all of their faces. Claire's eyes flicked down to Jill and Cindy's clasped hands, a questioning look thrown at the two of them, before turning her attention back to Lindsey.

"Okay girly, you need to tell me what happened. Right now. You talk to me, right now." Claire's no nonsense voice could melt the resolve of even the hardest criminal.

Lindsey sat up, her face covered in tears and red. "I screwed up. I slept with him."

The silence was deafening. No one breathed, batted an eyelash or reacted in any way. Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"This morning, Jacobi called to talk to him, and after he talked to Tom, I was kicked out. He told me to just get out and not come back."

Cindy opened and closed her mouth, trying to figure out to say. She looked to Jill, stunned as ever. It was Claire who broke the silence. "You did what?"

Lindsey's head turned Claire. "I slept with him. Or rather, he slept with me. I'm not really sure how it happened."

"Again. You slept with Tom again?" Claire was in shock, and forgot herself. "Are you insane?"

Jill and Cindy were having a completely silent conversation between themselves while Claire and Lindsey's escalated in volume.

"Lindsey, the man lost his wife a month ago! We still don't have any solid evidence to convict Jacob Willis, and you two have been playing house?" Claire was standing up now, hands on her hips, and furious.

Lindsey put her hands on her knees and pushed herself to standing. "What do you want me to say? I said I screwed it up! Jacobi is furious at me, I probably screwed up the whole case at this point."

Jill and Cindy silently stood up and tried to sneak out of the living room. Claire continued lecturing while Lindsey kept blaming herself.

Lindsey's bedroom was quiet, and with the door closed, a perfect place to talk quietly. Cindy sat on the edge of the bed and put her hands in her lap. "Wow. This is --,"

"Yeah." Jill sat down beside Cindy.

"What do we do? We can't really tell them right now. It would just be... wrong."

Jill smiled, "What's to tell? It's not like we are hiding it. Besides, Claire already knows, she's practically psychic when it comes to this stuff."

Cindy nodded and ran her fingertips down the length of Jill's bare arm. "It's okay. I just won't talk about anything. We both know I'm a horrible liar."

Jill leaned over and kissed Cindy on the cheek. "It's okay. Just try to keep that pretty mouth of yours shut around them until this all blows over. Lindsey and Tom are kind of a complicated messy romantic ... thing."

Cindy smiled and pulled Jill into her arms. "Well then, how about we let Lindsey and Claire sort it out while we take a few minutes to just relax."

The fell back onto Lindsey's bedspread, giggling.


	12. Return to Work

A/N: I am so sorry that this is taking so long to update. I have been very ill, and can't seem to focus long enough to knock out a chapter.

I should be wrapping this up in the next few chapters.

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Claire held on to her anger at Lindsey for days after their confrontation. She stomped around the office, and stomped around her house, often yelling at Ed and her boys. Nothing was able to snap her out of it, until Jacobi came down to the morgue for briefing on a case.

Claire ran him through it brusquely, and slapped the case file into his hands with a huff.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Jacobi gruffed at her, not used to her cold manner.

Claire turned back to him, eying him critically. He was Lindsey's partner after all, surely he knew something more. "Do you know what her problem is?"

Jacobi rolled his eyes, waved the file at Claire and ran for the door. She chased after him, her frustration getting the better of her sense. "Jacobi, please! She's my best friend. I worry that she's going to get hurt again. I don't know what to do."

Something in Claire's voice made him stop. He didn't turn around,but she saw his shoulders droop. He sighed heavily, and spoke softly, "She's my partner when she wants to be, Claire. It's not like she tells me everything going on in her life. But –," he trailed off, and turned to look at her.

"But what, Warren?" Claire took a step towards him, "But what?"

Warren Jacobi is not a stupid man. He knew he was beat, Claire could be formidable, and the last thing he wanted was a large, angry woman harassing him for information. He got that often enough from his ex-wives. He held his hands up in defeat.

"Okay, okay. When I called to tell the lieutenant about the break in his wife's case, Lindsey answered his phone. She was in his bed Claire." She didn't even flinch, telling Jacobi she already knew. "They just fell back together, and we all know how well that tends to turn out. Lindsey shut herself out of this case, and her friends and frankly, the whole world, in order to be available when he needed her." Jacobi ran a hand over his head. "I am worried about what will happen when it all comes to a head."

Claire nodded, it was the same worry she had. Suddenly, her anger dissipated. She just felt bad for both of them. Tom needed Lindsey almost as much as she needed him, and nothing was going to stop that. They just both needed to realize it and stop avoiding it themselves.

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Lindsey's first day back at work, was also Tom's. They met on the elevator on their way up to the bullpen. Luckily, the ride was packed, and other than a surreptitious glance at one another, they didn't even acknowledge one another.

Lindsey sat at her desk, and rifled through the messages placed there by the civilian liaison in the weeks of her absence. They were mostly from the reporters wanting an angle on the union killer. She didn't have one, she'd been blinded with helping Tom.

Meanwhile, Tom was up in his office, feeling both guilty and frustrated at the same time. The pictures around his office were all of him and Heather. It was like being stabbed in the heart every time he looked at them. Then he realized that he still had pictures on his phone, in his wallet and even in the car from their wedding and honeymoon. There was a stack of file folders spanning his desk, all needed his final approval before he could sign off on the cases. Feeling his breath catch in his throat as yet another picture of Heather stared him in the face, he stood up quickly.

He scooped the files off the desk and slammed the door with his foot behind him. He walked across the platform to the stairs, and ran, as quickly as he could towards the nearest empty desk in the bullpen. His breathing was quick and shallow. He picked up the first folder to hide his panic attack.

The voice at the desk across from him didn't help.

"Tom?" Lindsey quirked an eyebrow at him. "Does this mean you're talking to me again?"


End file.
